


The Visitors

by JamieHasCatEyes



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Evil Grandparents, Friendship, Gen, Generational Clash, Inaccurate Representations, Marichat, Minor OOC, Support, culture clash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-11-24 12:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18165467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JamieHasCatEyes/pseuds/JamieHasCatEyes
Summary: Sabine's parents have travelled from China to visit for a few days. However, Marinette can't shake the feeling that they disapprove of her. Everyone assures her that's not the case, but the feelings of hostility do not go away. Marinette will have to take it upon herself to find out what their issues are - if she can stand to be in their presence long enough to ask.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The grandparents are shitty people. If you're sensitive to such things, hit that back button.  
> There won't be anything really severe, they're just mean and callous people.  
> Read at your own discretion.

Marinette stood nervously with her parents at the airport, holding a bouquet of peonies and white chrysanthemums. Tom looked uncomfortable in a formal suit, digging his finger into the collar to tug it away from his throat regularly. Sabine was resplendent in a red cheongsam, her posture straight and her gaze fixed on the arrival gate.

Marinette shifted her weight from foot to foot. The pins holding her hair in an elegant bun itched, and a seam on the inside of her dress irritated her side, but they were niggling worries compared to the inevitable meeting with her maternal grandparents. Marinette loved her grandparents, but she had not seen them since she was six, and what she remembered did not inspire confidence. In her memory, they were strict traditionalists with high expectations, and sour expressions. She hoped her childhood memories were simply just blown out of proportion, but she remained apprehensive.

‘There they are,’ Sabine announced, standing on her toes to wave at the diminutive couple exiting the terminal. ‘Big smiles, everyone.’

Marinette forced a grin through her nerves, while she tried to keep herself from crushing the bouquet.

The elderly couple who met Sabine looked like wizened apples. They greeted her in Chinese with impassive tones, then Sabine held out a hand, indicating Marinette and Tom. Tom bowed respectfully, and murmured a passable greeting. Grandmother and Grandfather Cheng regarded him coolly, but did not respond. They then turned to Marinette.

She quailed under their combined stare, her stuttered greeting barely comprehensible regardless of language. Never had Marinette cursed her ineptitude in learning languages more.

 _I knew I should’ve practised_ _, s_ he wailed internally.

Grandmother Cheng muttered disapprovingly to her husband, who spoke seriously to Sabine, at length. Sabine sighed, responding with what sounded like an assurance, then pushed Marinette forward once more. She held out the bouquet, deciding to try again at Sabine’s encouraging nod.

‘It’s a pleasure to see you again. Welcome to France,’ she stated clearly, if a little stilted, in Chinese. She held out the bouquet with an unnaturally wide grin.

Grandmother Cheng eyed the flowers before hesitantly accepting them. Sabine then ushered them to the baggage claim where Tom hefted two large suitcases from the carousel. Grandfather Cheng nattered at him critically as they trekked out to the car. Tom bore the nagging graciously, but it made Marinette anxious.

The journey home was silent and awkward. Tom drove, while Grandfather Cheng claimed the front passenger seat. Marinette was in the back, wedged between Sabine and the car door. Mercifully, Sabine had taken the seat in the middle, thus sparing Marinette from her grandmother’s critique.

While Tom took the luggage to his and Sabine’s room, Sabine and Marinette showed the elder couple to the living room and kitchen. There was a susurrus of disapproving whispers behind Marinette, which she tried valiantly to ignore, though she could feel a nerve jumping in her eyelid.

‘I can make the tea, Maman,’ she offered, hoping to avoid having to play host.

‘Thank you, Dear. Don’t forget the snacks.’

Which really meant “don’t spill anything” in Mother Speech. Rather than come back with a witty retort, Marinette pulled out the necessary equipment while Sabine chatted with her parents on the couch. Marinette took her time, and while she was preparing the tea, Tom came in. He sat with Sabine for a short while, before excusing himself to help Marinette.

‘You doing ok, Sweetheart?’ he asked.

‘Yeah, I’m ok.’

‘You sure?’

Marinette bit her lip, her eyes falling to her hands. ‘They make me a little nervous. They seem so unhappy about everything, and they never smile. It feels like they don’t like me much, either.’

‘Of course, they like you, you’re their beloved granddaughter. What makes you think they’re unhappy?’

She gave him a look. ‘Just because I’m not fluent doesn’t mean I don’t recognise the facial expressions or the body language.’

Tom’s jaw worked, but he failed to formulate a sentence. In the end, he just sighed.

‘They’re very traditional. They’re also very old and set in their ways. I’m sure it’s nothing personal.’

‘Grandma Gina is old, but she’s nothing like them.’

‘Grandma Gina is a free spirit. She’s never been tied down by tradition or societal expectations. Remember, China is a very different country, with very different values. Just keep being your usual, optimistic self. They’ll come around, you’ll see.’

Marinette mustered up another brittle smile.

 _I sure hope so_ , she thought as she lifted the tea tray.

It wobbled precariously, before Tom steadied it, giving her a tight chuckle. Together, they brought the tea and snacks out to the lounge room where Sabine served the elder couple first. Marinette sat on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, with her back straight and smiling vacantly.

At five o’clock, Sabine began preparing dinner with her mother hovering over her shoulder, micromanaging everything she was doing. Marinette busied herself setting the table, however, as she was setting the crockery down, her grandfather smacked the back of her hand.

‘Wrong. Not like that. Again,’ he snapped at her in broken French.

Marinette snatched her hand back to cradle it protectively against her chest. Willing her eyes not to water, she laid the bowls out again under his scrutinising gaze. When the last bowl was in place, she looked at her grandfather for a sign of approval. Rather than acknowledge her, he snorted derisively before returning to the couch.

Marinette gaped after him. _Did he just come over here to criticise me?_

She turned to Sabine, wondering if she had seen the exchange, but Sabine was engaged in conversation with her mother, and hadn’t noticed anything amiss. Marinette huffed though her nose, then went to get the glasses.

Dinner passed much like the car ride home had. The silence was thick and uncomfortable once Sabine stopped struggling to maintain conversation. Grandmother and Grandfather Cheng remained focussed on their meal without looking at anyone else. Marinette wasn’t sure if this was a breach of etiquette, but it seemed rude to her.

Eventually, Grandmother and Grandfather Cheng retired, citing advanced age and jet-lag. Sabine showed them to hers and Tom’s room, where they would sleep for the duration of their visit. Tom remained in the kitchen with Marinette to help clean up.

‘See, that wasn’t so bad was it?’ Tom murmured once they were out of earshot.

‘Are you kidding? That was agony. Now I’m positive they don’t like being here.’

‘They wouldn’t have come if they didn’t want to. Now please try to get along with them, for your mother’s sake.’

Marinette’s head fell back as she let out a pained groan. ‘I can’t believe you’d play the guilt card.’

Tom twirled his moustache villainously. ‘I’m a parent, it’s in the job description.’

Spinning the tea towel, she flicked him playfully in the leg. He pirouetted away, placing a stack of dishes in the cupboard. Sabine came back shortly after, smiling at the progress they had made.

‘So industrious,’ she praised them.

She sat by the counter as they finished, then they all went to collapse on the couch.

‘Dinner was lovely, thank you Dear.’ Tom kissed Sabine’s cheek fondly.

‘You’re very welcome. So, Marinette, what do you think of your grandparents visiting?’

Once again, Marinette dredged up a smile. ‘It’s great to get in contact with the other half of my roots.’

Sabine nodded sagely. ‘It’s important to know where you came from.’

Sabine then went off on a tangent, reciting stories of meetings with her own grandparents. Marinette listened with half an ear, more worried about how she was to accommodate Tikki over the next few days. Tom and Sabine would be bunking in her room, leaving Marinette with little, to no privacy. At least she had school tomorrow, thus divesting her of the duty of entertaining her onerous grandparents.

‘Oh, I have homework,’ she gasped, suddenly remembering.

Tom and Sabine sighed in unison, then told her to finish it quickly. They still had to open the bakery in the morning, and would need a full night’s rest.

Giving each of her parents a kiss on the cheek, she thanked them for understanding, and apologised profusely for the inconvenience before racing up to her room. Throwing herself into her desk chair, Marinette concentrated hard, while Tikki watched drowsily from her place on a small cushion behind the monitor.

By nine-thirty, she had finished the most urgent subjects and her belly was rumbling.

‘I’m not used to having dinner so early,’ she said softly.

‘Maybe you could sneak something from the kitchen,’ Tikki suggested.

‘And get you something sweet while I'm there?’ she teased.

‘Well, since you’re there,’ Tikki trailed off, with a grin.

Footsteps alerted them to Tom and Sabine coming up the stairs, shortly followed by a knock at her trap door. After Marinette’s call to enter, her parents came in burdened with pillows and blankets for the inflatable mattress standing by the wall beside the door, Marinette's belongings pushed aside to make room.

‘I’m sorry for the imposition, Dear,’ Sabine apologised.

Tom echoed the sentiment. ‘It’s only for a few days.’

‘It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I’ll just grab my PJs and change in the bathroom.’ She fetched her pyjamas while Tikki crept into her blazer, then she traipsed downstairs, closing the trapdoor after her.

‘Ok, let’s find a snack,’ she hissed, conspiratorially. Tikki giggled in response, flying ahead in giddy loops.

Marinette quickly ate some cold leftovers while Tikki helped herself from the biscuit tin Marinette left open for her. Then, she darted into the bathroom, brushed her teeth and changed, before meeting Tikki in the kitchen again. After she had cleaned up, Tikki hid in her pocket before they went back upstairs.

Tom and Sabine had just finished making the bed when she returned. They smiled at her from opposing sides of the mattress, both in their pyjamas as well.

‘Looks comfy,’ observed Marinette.

Tom sighed. ‘I hope so.’

‘Go on up to bed,’ Sabine instructed her, ‘I’ll turn off the light.’

‘Right. Good night, Maman. Night, Papa.’

They hugged her goodnight, then she scurried up to her bed. The light went out, and for a few moments, the only noises were her parents as they settled in. Soon, the sound of deep breathing drifted up.

‘I think they’re asleep,’ whispered Tikki.

Marinette curled around her pillow. ‘How are we going to make this work? You’re supposed to be a secret.’

‘I've had wielders who lived in a single room hut with their entire extended family, and still remained a secret. I know how to manage this, so don’t worry.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘I'm positive. Get some sleep, and don’t fret about me. I’m the least of your concerns.’

With that unsettling statement, Tikki drifted to the pillow and fell asleep immediately. Marinette, however, lay awake for a long time, her anxiety spiking over what ought to have been nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette jolted into wakefulness, the vague fear after a fading nightmare sending a shiver down her spine. Rubbing her eyes, Marinette yawned wide, then stretched her arms above her head, determined to ignore the unease swirling in her gut.

Her eyes itchy and dry, Marinette checked the time, then screeched.

‘I overslept, again.’

Almost tripping down her ladder, Marinette yanked out a dress rather than try to coordinate a whole outfit. She showered, brushed her teeth, and dressed as quickly as she could, then ran back to her room to finish her hair and gather her schoolbag. Then she ran to the kitchen to kiss Sabine goodbye, only to be met with the openly disapproving stares of her grandparents.

‘I’m leaving now,’ she stammered in halting Chinese. ‘Please have a nice day.’

‘Have a good day, Dear,’ Sabine replied from behind the kitchen counter.

Grandmother Cheng began talking, much too fast for Marinette to keep up. But from her expression and sharp gestures, Marinette could infer that her grandmother was displeased with her.  Grandfather Cheng looked equally irate as he nodded along, though he didn’t say anything.

Marinette stood where she was, unable to move. A nudge from inside her purse startled her into motion. Looking at the time on her phone, she blanched. But then, Sabine sighed.

‘Marinette, could you put on some tights, or stockings and a cardigan, or something?’ she asked.

Confused, Marinette cocked her head. ‘It’s like, twenty degrees outside. Besides, I’m late. I’ll see you later.’

Marinette left without kissing Sabine goodbye, or spending time on any other pleasantries. She hollered a farewell to Tom as she sprinted out the bakery, and ran across the road without waiting for the lights. Mercifully, the street was empty, letting her race the remaining distance unimpeded.

She made it to the classroom just as Madame Bustier was closing the door.

‘I’m here,’ she yelled as she barrelled inside. ‘I’m here.’

There was a long-suffering sigh from behind her while her classmates tittered at the inelegant entrance. Blushing, Marinette ducked her head, and took her seat, feeling small and stupid. Alya nudged her arm, and mouthed a welcome, to which Marinette smiled gratefully. She settled in as Madame Bustier began her lesson, finally feeling like she had settled into a proper routine.

 

* * *

 

 

When the lunch bell sounded, Marinette stretched her arms up high enough to make her squeak. One shoulder cracked, and she felt a pop in her lower back, then she relaxed as she eased her arms down again.

‘You ok there, M?’ asked Alya.

‘Yeah, just tired. I think I had a nightmare last night.’

In front of her, Adrien spun around, his half-packed belongings forgotten. ‘A nightmare, are you all right?’

‘Yeah, all good. It’s just a mightflare.’ She nodded reassuringly, but he didn’t seem convinced.

Alya raised an eyebrow. ‘You mean a nightmare?’

‘That’s what I said, a blightbare.’

Alya shook her head with a sigh, but Adrien reluctantly accepted her assurances.

‘Hey, did you guys want to have lunch with us?’ Alya asked, suddenly.

Nino finally joined the conversation, smiling a her brightly. ‘Sure, I’m in.’

Adrien shrugged and nodded. ‘Sure, as long as no one calls me at the last minute with a shoot, or something.’

A delighted squeal bubbled up Marinette's chest, but she pressed her lips together to prevent any unseemly noises from escaping. Together, the four of them left the school to find a nearby café, Alya and Nino in the lead, their arms linked, with her head resting against his shoulder.

Marinette had a spring in her step as she walked beside Adrien, her troubles temporarily forgotten. They didn’t speak, but the silence was easy. She even saw him smiling indulgently at her from the corner of her eye. A delicate blush warmed her face as she fantasised about holding his hand.

They chose a table by the open windows of a small café, and placed their orders. They spoke idly of safe topics, like the unseasonably warm weather, or mutually loved subjects, like music, and tv shows. Then their food arrived, plunging the table into companionable silence while they ate.

‘Your dress is pretty,’ Alya opined, as she fingered Marinette’s short sleeve. ‘It’s pretty, isn’t it?’

The boys agreed around their mouthfuls, nodding obediently.

‘Did you make it yourself?’ Alya went on.

Marinette swallowed her own bite. ‘Yeah, I did.’

‘Stand up and give us a twirl.’

Always happy to display her skills, Marinette stood, holding her arms away from her body and spinning. The close-fitting dress was of neutral colours, with small, dusty pink roses over a latte background, and with a wide, square-cut neck. The skirt swished around her legs, the hem sitting just above her knees. She was proud of her creation, and beamed at their approval.

‘Not your usual colour palette,’ Alya noted, ‘but this is nice. It’s more mature.’

‘I think you could give Father a run for his money,’ Adrien told her.

Marinette's heart soared. ‘You think it’s that good?’

‘Of course. I’d never lie to you.’

‘What do your grandparents think of your sewing?’ Alya asked.

 Marinette's good mood plummeted.

‘Something wrong, Mar?’ Nino leaned in to peer at her.

‘Your grandparents are visiting? Lucky,’ Adrien commented, enviously.

She wanted to tell him he could have them, that they would surely approve of him more than they did her. He was a well behaved, filial person who spoke Chinese fluently, he came from wealth, and was academically brilliant. He was poised, cultured, and everything she was not. A wave of inadequacy rolled over her, forcing her back into her seat.

‘Marinette?’ Adrien put a hand on her shoulder.

Snapping upright, she beamed at him. ‘Yeah, Maman’s parents are visiting for a few days. I haven’t seen them since I was six, so it’s great they’re here.’

Marinette resumed eating to avoid having to say any more about it. She didn’t want to lie to her friends, but she didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily either. Besides, her grandparents were only staying for a few days, she could pretend for that long.

The rest of the day passed unremarkably. Chloé was her usual snide self, Lila spun tales everyone believed, and Kim challenged Alix to stand on their heads to see who could do it longer. Marinette let it all wash around her like waves at a beach. Things happened, but had no real impact on her personally. Instead, she dwelled on what she would encounter when she went home. As the last hours ticked by, she grew increasingly apprehensive. She jiggled her leg, tapped her foot, and chewed the end of her pen so hard she left teeth marks, and even though she knew it was coming, the bell ringing the end of the day still made her jump.

Still, she waved a cheery goodbye to her friends, smiling brightly to cover her anxiety. That grin dropped the moment she turned around. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Marinette crossed the road and entered the bakery.

‘Good afternoon, Honey,’ Tom boomed. ‘Could you take this upstairs with you?’

The large platter he held out was heavily laden with an assortment of his wares, but Marinette took it without slipping over or dropping anything. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, she took it up to the living room where her grandparents sat around the coffee table sipping tea with Sabine.

‘Welcome home, Sweetie. Did you have a nice day?’ Sabine smiled at her from over the rim of her cup, looking happy and peaceful.

Marinette couldn’t let herself bring the mood down. Entering the room, she lay the tray on the coffee table and folded her legs to sit on her heels. ‘Yeah, I got to have lunch with Adrien.’

Immediately, there was an angry muttering from her grandparents. Marinette twitched, but resolved to ignore them as much as good manners would allow. Instead, she chose to continue smiling at Sabine, and talk about her day. Then Sabine spoke of taking her parents to the Eiffel Tower, though they hadn’t stayed long, as they were overwhelmed by the crowds.  Marinette thought he detected a hint of annoyance at that, but refrained from commenting.

After twenty minutes of mundane chatter, Marinette excused herself, grabbed a handful of biscuits and went to her room. Tikki darted out of the purse the moment the door thudded shut, claimed a biscuit then spun around with it before settling on the desk. Marinette laughed a she placed the remaining food beside her, then hoisted her schoolbag into her lap.

Absorbed in her homework, Marinette didn’t notice the noise at first. What drew her attention was the way the floor shuddered, and the windows rattled. After exchanging a look with Tikki, Marinette turned to her phone. Sure enough, an akuma was running rampant in a nearby warehouse district.

‘I guess duty calls,’ she said.

‘Just say the words, Marinette.’

In a flash, she was transformed, and swinging downtown.

Following the trail of destruction, Ladybug found the akuma stomping through an industrial part of the city, decimating buildings and vehicles alike with his large fists and feet. She stood on the roof of a warehouse behind him, observing and trying to find the tainted object before engaging in battle. Unfortunately, nothing stood out against his garish yellow suit.

There was an awed whistle behind her.

‘That guy is huge,’ Chat Noir observed emphatically, as he came to stand beside her. ‘What do you think, disgruntled employee wrongfully fired?’

The akuma was twelve feet tall, and clearly irate. He bellowed a line Ladybug couldn’t make out, but when he raised his arms, his suit shifted.

‘His vest,’ she exclaimed. ‘He’s wearing a vest, not a whole suit. I bet that’s where the akuma is.’

‘Brilliant as always, Milady. After you.’ Chat Noir extended a hand, indicating she precede him.

She tipped her head politely, then led the charge, calling commands over her shoulder as they went. In the end, it was a relatively easy confrontation. Because of his size, the akuma was slow, affording them ample opportunity to use Ladybug’s Lucky Charm, and Chat Noir to Cataclysm the vest. The akuma shrank to a scrawny twenty-year-old man, upset by the hazing his older colleagues had inflicted upon him. Ladybug and Chat Noir both had stern words with the other men, as well as their boss, all of whom then promised to behave like respectable adults from then on.

Ladybug then made her goodbyes and left, conscious of the time that had passed. She didn’t want her parents to enter her room only to find her gone, and worry needlessly, nor did she have a plausible excuse for suddenly disappearing. She sprinted back, just barely beating her timer as her transformation fell away while she slithered in through her rooftop access hatch.

‘That was a close one,’ Tikki panted as she fell to the mattress.

‘There should still be some biscuits next to the computer.’

Tikki hummed happily as she drifted to the desk, her limbs hanging limply. Marinette scurried down the ladder and back into her chair, just as the trapdoor squeaked open.

Tikki took her biscuit behind the monitor to hide, while Marinette stacked her text books to help conceal her before spinning around to face the intruder. Her grandmother’s stern gaze pinned her in place.

‘Where were you?’ she asked slowly, her heavily accented tone frigid.

Marinette paled. ‘I was here.’

‘You were not. You were gone.’

‘I was just on my balcony, getting some fresh air. You must have come in then.’

‘Liar,’ she retorted, switching back to Chinese.

Marinette gulped. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this.


	3. Chapter 3

****Tom and Sabine stood in front of her, their arms crossed and their faces drawn into severe lines. Marinette sat in her desk chair, wringing her hands as she watched them through her fringe.

‘Were you out without telling us, Marinette?’ Sabine asked, her tone carefully neutral.

‘No, I was just out on my balcony,’ she explained.

‘That’s not what your grandmother said.’

Marinette drew her lips in and looked at the floor, rather than point out her grandmother was too short to even reach the access hatch to confirm Marinette had left. She tried to think of something else, rather than look petty and spiteful.

‘I was on the balcony. Grandmother must be mistaken.’

Sabine shook her head. ‘Mother saw no one on your balcony, nor is she known to make such mistakes, or tell untruths. I ask again, where were you?’

‘I was here,’ she exclaimed, her voice rising.

Tom sighed. ‘This is all too reminiscent of last semester, when your teachers informed us that you were never where you were meant to be. Until you decide to be honest with us, we’re going to have to ground you again. No tv, no friends over, no games.’

‘That’s not fair,’ she argued.

‘I'm sorry, but that's just how it has to be. Finish your homework, then come help your mother with dinner.’

They filed out, ignoring Marinette’s outraged spluttering. She kicked the door shut after them, pretending she didn’t hear their reprimands from the stairs, before slumping back into her chair.

‘What a load of bull,’ she seethed.

Tikki patted her hand tentatively, then offered her a biscuit. Taking a deep breath, she accepted it with a small smile, though the injustice still burned.

‘I know it hurts now,’ Tikki began, ‘but I’m sure it won’t last long. Besides, it’s not like you can shirk your duties as Ladybug. Saving the city must take precedence.’

‘I know, but the way everything’s beginning to pile up, I don’t know how I'm supposed to juggle being Marinette and Ladybug. My grandparents seem to have it out for me, like they’re determined to make me look bad.’

‘Maybe it’s just like your father said – they’re traditionalists from a very strict lifestyle.’

‘Or, they don’t like me because I’m not a son, or that I’m not fully Chinese.’

‘I’m sure it’s neither of those things.’

‘I don’t know, neither one of them has even looked at Papa since we came back from the airport.’

Tikki held her arms up in a helpless shrug. ‘I don’t know. I’m not a mind reader. What I do know is that you’re Ladybug, and you’re stronger than they are. Don’t let them get you down.’

Marinette heaved a gusty exhale, and forced her shoulders to relax. Giving Tikki a genuine smile, she busied herself with homework until Sabine called for her to help with dinner.

Determined to prove Tikki’s faith in her was not misplaced, Marinette did everything she was told with perfect precision. The place settings at the table, how she chopped the vegetables, even the way she poured the tea was flawless. However, she did not smile, and only replied to questions with the minimum that basic courtesy allowed. Her emotional turmoil aside, it was first time ever she had not spilled, tripped, or broken something, which she considered a success.

Leaving the clean-up to her parents, she excused herself after she had eaten, once again citing homework. They watched her go with mildly concerned frowns, but didn’t stop her. Her grandparents tutted disapprovingly and muttered something unpleasant, which Marinette couldn’t make out. She could see it in their faces and body language, though. Ignoring it all, Marinette closed her door, and settled behind her desk, her textbook and tablet open before her.

After a couple of hours, she had only finished one task when her parents came in.

‘Marinette?’ Sabine began, ‘it’s time for bed.’

Wordlessly, she got up, found her pyjamas and went to the bathroom. She didn’t care that she was being childishly passive-aggressive. She was still hurting at her parents’ lack of trust in her, and their willingness to believe the worst at her grandmother’s say so.

Upon her return to her room, she didn’t even spare Tom or Sabine a glance as she made her way up to her bed, opting to curl up under her blankets to hide instead. There was a resigned sigh, then the lights flicked out.

‘Goodnight Marinette,’ Tom murmured.

Marinette mouthed a reply. She didn’t like having disagreements with her family, she loved them deeply, even now, but she wasn’t ready to deal with them yet, either.

Eventually Tikki landed in front of her nose on the pillow. ‘They’re asleep.’

‘Good. You hungry?’

‘I found my own dinner,’ she stated proudly.

Marinette chuckled. ‘Did someone leave the biscuit tin unattended?’

‘Something like that.’

They giggled, then Tikki sobered. ‘Are you feeling all right?’

Marinette drew in a steadying breath, then let it out slowly through her nose. ‘I still think it’s unfair that Maman and Papa took Grandmother’s word over mine. They act like they don’t know me, and it hurts. Am I being unreasonable?’

‘I think your feelings are justified, but you need to find a healthier way to express them.’

‘I know. I just don’t want to say anything that I can’t take back, so I end up not saying anything. Then, I wonder if there’s any point, since they seem set on believing the worst of me.’

Tikki put her arm to her mouth as she pouted in thought. ‘Maybe you can talk to Master Fu.’

Marinette blinked. ‘That’s not a bad idea. Except that I’m grounded.’

‘You have his number, you can always call. Or, you can go during lunch break tomorrow.’

‘I would prefer to speak face to face, but I’m probably supposed to come home for lunch.’

Tikki furrowed her brow pensively. ‘Say you’re taking lunch in the cafeteria so you can work on an assignment.’

‘I’m not sure that’ll fly, but I don’t have anything better.’

‘I know it’s not ideal, but you need to speak to someone. Get some sleep for now, this can all be tomorrow’s problem.’

 

* * *

 

 

Marinette woke up at a reasonable time on Tuesday. She went through her usual routine, put on her favourite capris, shirt, and jacket, then put her hair up without rushing like a madwoman. Once she was ready, she filched a croissant from the bakery and walked out without calling a goodbye. She still wasn’t sure how she was supposed to behave toward her parents, and ignoring them left a heavy weight in her chest. Shaking her head, she approached the school and her cluster of friends.

The morning remained uneventful, though it provided a pleasant distraction from her woes. But when lunch time came, Marinette was loath to decline Alya’s invitation to a meal at her place. Still, Alya didn’t question it too deeply, then turned to extend the offer to Nino instead. Marinette didn’t begrudge her the time spent with her boyfriend. She had asked Marinette first, and Nino was at a loose end since Adrien was required at home. So, Marinette walked down the street alone, with Tikki asleep in her purse.

‘Master Fu, are you here?’ Marinette called as she entered his little parlour.

There was a shuffling from a back room, then Wang Fu appeared at a door down the short hallway. ‘Marinette, what a pleasant surprise. Do come in.’

Fu settled her in front of a low table with a cup of tea and a piece of red bean cake. Tikki woke up, and eyed the cake, until Marinette pushed the dish toward her. Tikki’s eyes lit up, and she fell on the treat with enthusiasm.

Laughing, Fu sat down with his own tea and cake. ‘I could have given Tikki her own slice.’

Marinette shook her head with a small smile. ‘It’s ok, I’m not hungry.’

‘Something is troubling you.’

‘Yeah, but it’s not Miraculous related.’

‘But not something you can talk to your parents about?’

Marinette heaved a sigh. ‘My parents are part of the problem.’

‘Oh dear. Tell me what happened.’

She told Fu everything, how it made her feel, and her resulting confusion. He listened, nodding and humming at intervals, between sips of tea. When she finished, he put his cup down, and folded his hands atop the table.

‘Your task was never an easy one, especially since you are a child and as such, you’re still answerable to your parents and elders. I can give you some basic lessons in meditation you can try at home to ease the worst of your negative emotions, which should help you deal with your family. Once you feel you are of a stable mind, talk to your parents away from your grandparents. Let them know how you feel in calm, measured tones. Do not let your anger overwhelm you, as they will not respond well, and it could leave you vulnerable to Papillon. Does that sound reasonable to you?’

‘Yes, Master Fu. Thank you.’

She spent the rest of her break learning how to control her breathing as if she were meditating. Fu told her it took years to master the technique, but she could begin to reap the benefits almost immediately. When her time was up, she thanked him politely, then raced back to school for another tedious afternoon of lessons.

The moment Marinette returned home, entering through the rear door, Tom was waiting for her at the base of the stairs. He sat on the last few steps with his shoulders hunched and his head down, his hands hanging limp between his knees. He looked up as she came in, appearing drawn and resigned.

‘Can we talk?’ Even his voice was dull.

Marinette clutched her bag strap with both hands, her gaze drifting aside. ‘I want to. I don’t like being upset with you, or having you upset with me, but I’m not ready yet. I just don’t want to blurt out something hurtful that I don’t mean. Maybe tomorrow, or the day after, but not right now.’

Tom sighed as he rose laboriously to his feet. ‘I understand. But just so you know, I was never upset with you. I was just worried. Perhaps I didn’t handle things as well as I ought, but I needed you to know that.’

Marinette nodded, but didn’t speak as she walked past him, a painful lump in her throat preventing her from saying anything more.

Once again, Sabine was entertaining her parents in the loungeroom. Marinette, pretending they weren’t all watching her, strode to the kitchen, scooped a handful of biscuits out of the tin, then went to her room. The weight of their stares sent shivers down her back, but she marched upstairs, determined to put Fu’s teachings to use.

She set her pilfered biscuits on the desk for Tikki, then sat on her chaise in the position Fu had described. It was easy enough to regulate her breathing, but visualising how her body moved with those breaths was harder, as her mind wandered or was distracted by some minor annoyance. There was a particularly noisy car driving by, an itch on her back, or someone thudding about downstairs, all irritating distractions which meant she had to start over each time.

‘This isn’t working,’ she groused as she shifted her weight. Her backside was beginning to ache, and her foot tingled.

‘You looked like you were doing really well. Keep at it, I know you can do it,’ Tikki encouraged her.

Marinette sighed, changed her position, and tried again. Her mind eventually drifted into blank haziness, somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, when someone entered her room. The moment shattered, and Marinette opened her eyes to see her surly grandmother scowling at her.

‘Dinner is ready,’ she stated in patronisingly slow Chinese. ‘Not that you cared. Your mother has been calling for you for thirty minutes, but do you respond? Unfilial, ungrateful child.’

Any calmness she had gained vanished. Grandmother Cheng had already begun hobbling down the stairs, presuming her nasty mutterings would go unheard, or uncomprehended. Once her head had cleared the doorway, Marinette kicked it shut with a resounding crash.

There were exclamations of surprise from downstairs, but no one came up to check on her. Marinette wasn’t sure if she should feel hurt, or relieved by that. She slumped into her desk chair, torn between wanting someone to come get her, and wishing they would all stay away.

Tikki hovered by her shoulder. ‘Maybe you should go down and eat with them.’

‘What, why?’

‘All you’ve had to eat today was a croissant for breakfast and some tea at Master Fu’s place. Aren’t you hungry?’

‘A little, I guess. Not enough to subject myself to their company, though. If they want me, they know where to find me.’

_Unfortunately_ , she tacked on silently.

Feeling too emotional to pick up meditating again, she instead pulled out some of her easier homework. Just as she finished a sketch of something that inspired her for art class, her door opened to admit Sabine. As unobtrusively as possible, Sabine set a plate of Marinette's favourites beside her elbow, before gently kissing her hair, and retreating back downstairs.

The simple gesture broke the dam in Marinette’s chest. Great tears welled up and spilled over, splashing over the pages in her workbook. Tikki rushed over to hug her cheek and wipe away the tears, while uttering soothing shushing sounds. Marinette sniffled one more time, then wiped her face with the back of her hand.

‘See? Everything’s ok. Your family still loves you. Now eat up before it goes cold.’

She nodded, and obeyed the command. She barely tasted the food, but her stomach did feel a little better for it. Her mind, however, was still churning.

‘I think I’d like to be alone for a bit. I’ll be on the balcony.’

‘I’ll be here.’

Tikki sat on the desk, watching Marinette go with wide eyes. Marinette shot her a reassuring look over her shoulder, then continued up the ladder.

The air outside was a welcome reprieve from her stuffy room. Marinette breathed in the calm night as she leaned on the rail at the far end of the balcony. For a moment, she let her mind wander, until she wasn’t thinking of anything at all. It was a pleasant feeling, and when she looked up at the murky sky, she could almost imagine herself floating.

After an unmeasured amount of time, her feet began to ache, and the evening chill had settled in. She shivered, and rubbed her arms, deciding she was ready to head back inside. She was about to turn around, when something large and heavy landed on the rail behind her. Spinning round, she saw Chat Noir grinning uncertainly at her, as he crouched where he’d landed.

‘Hello,’ he said with a feeble wave.

‘Good evening, Chat Noir. What brings you here?’

He shrugged with one shoulder, then slithered off his perch to walk up to her. ‘I saw you standing there, and wondered if you were ok.’

Taken aback by his honesty and the unexpected courtesy, Marinette found herself speechless. Her expression eased into a genuine smile when she realised she ought not find that so strange. Chat Noir had always been earnest and kind-hearted. She decided to confide in him, if just a little. Talking may even help her sort out what she wanted to say to her parents.

‘I’m ok. I just had a small falling out with my family, that’s all.’

Chat Noir gasped. ‘You had a fight? What about?’

Releasing a long, slow breath, Marinette turned around to lean back against the rail. He copied the position, watching her closely.

‘My grandparents came over from China on Sunday, to visit for a few days. I haven’t seen them since I was a kid, but I remember feeling like they didn’t like me very much.’ She shrugged, keeping her eyes on the floor. ‘Nothing seems to have changed in that regard. Nothing I do makes them happy. They’re always scowling or saying something mean when they think I won’t pick up on it. I may not always know what they’re saying, but their faces and the way they hold themselves is pretty telling. But I’ve only ever been nice, well behaved, and everything a good daughter should be. I have no idea why they seem to hate me so much.’

She wrapped her hands around her arms, a defensive gesture as much as to ward off the chill. She hung her head as the painful lump formed in her throat once more. ‘Then, something happened. I had to sneak out and deal with a crisis in secret. But while I was gone, my grandmother must’ve come looking for me.’

‘What did you have to sneak off for?’

Marinette shook her head. ‘Sorry, Kitty, but I’m sworn to secrecy.’

‘You girls and your mysteries. So, what happened? Did she rat you out?’

‘Of course, so then I had to lie and say I was up here the whole time. But no one listened to what I had to say. They all just believed Grandmother Cheng without a hint of doubt, as if her old doddery mind is still reliable.’

Chat Noir snorted into his fist. ‘Meow-ch.’

‘They believed her over me. They acted like I had committed some heinous crime, and didn’t even let me try to explain.’

‘Except anything you had to say would’ve been a lie,’ he pointed out.

Marinette's shoulders slumped. ‘Whose side are you on?’

He held up his hands in surrender. ‘Yours, no matter how unreasonable.’

‘You make me sound like a brat,’ she pouted.

‘I’m not saying that, but it’s hard to understand where you’re coming from without the full story.’

She heaved another sigh. ‘I can’t tell you that. But the crux of the matter is that my parents just blindly believed Grandmother without even listening to what I had to say. That hurt.’

Chat Noir considered her for a moment. ‘I wish I knew what to say to make it all better. It sucks when your parents won’t listen to you, no matter the reason.’

He had such a forlorn look on his face, Marinette briefly wondered what kind of arguments he’d had with his parents.

‘Would you settle for a hug instead?’ he offered.

A genuine smile formed of its own accord. ‘I’d like that.’

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, while she hugged him tight about the middle. It felt nice to be hugged by someone after the last two days, and Chat Noir gave good hugs. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she always felt safe and appreciated when he held her, no matter what guise she wore.

A sudden screech had them jumping away from each other. Looking around wildly, Marinette saw Grandmother Cheng peering out from the hatch, screaming and pointing at her and Chat Noir.

‘Go,’ she told him.

His head swivelled from Grandmother Cheng to her, and back again. ‘What?’

‘Go, now,’ she told him urgently, physically spinning him around and shoving his shoulders.

‘What about you?’

‘I’ll be fine. I just don’t want you dragged into this.’

He nodded his understanding and leapt to the neighbouring roof, pausing there long enough to look back at her, before sprinting away.

Grandmother Cheng had yet to stop screaming. Inside, Sabine and Tom were calling for her to come inside and tell them what was wrong. Grandfather Cheng hollered from further down in Chinese, but whatever he was saying went largely unheard.

Finally, Grandmother Cheng allowed herself to be ushered back down to the bedroom floor. Tom appeared in her place, looking alarmed.

‘Marinette, come inside.’

Tipping her head back with a pained groan, she obeyed, though she could feel their collective stares follow her as she descended the ladder.

Sabine turned to her, looking desperate and confused. ‘Marinette, Mother says she saw you with a demon. What is she talking about?’

‘Sounds like senility to me.’

Marinette stopped breathing, appalled by her own temerity. She endeavoured to keep her face bland, as she figured she had just stumbled upon something brilliant.

Sabine gasped, equally shocked. ‘Mind your manners, young lady. I raised you better than that.’

Struggling to remain nonchalant, Marinette shrugged. ‘She’s squealing about demons on my balcony. At her age, dementia is pretty common, you know.’

Sabine looked back to Tom for support, but he just shrugged helplessly. Tsk-ing impatiently, she turned to her father next, asking him questions Marinette wasn’t fluent enough to catch. He responded in kind, but his answers only seemed to agitate Sabine more. Finally, she herded her parents downstairs, patting her mother’s arm soothingly while she babbled about demons.

Only Tom remained. He looked up at the ceiling, his hand resting on the back of his neck as he considered what he ought to say.

‘So, demons huh?’ he said, lamely.

Marinette rolled her eyes. ‘I promise you, Papa, there were no demons anywhere near here tonight. I’ve never even seen a demon. I told you she imagines things that never happened.’

Tom cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. ‘I’ll talk to your mother about having your grounding lifted. I’m sorry about what happened. I never wanted to upset you.’

Figuring she had pushed her luck enough that night, she bit her tongue against a snide remark. Instead, she nodded an acknowledgement, then watched silently as Tom headed back downstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette awoke feeling appreciably better on Wednesday morning. She and her parents had discussed the previous evening’s turn of events before going to bed, and it was agreed that her grounding would be lifted. There were hugs, heartfelt apologies, and promises on both sides to be more reasonable and open minded in the future.

For the first time since Saturday, Marinette woke up feeling optimistic. The forecasters predicted another warm day, so she decided to wear an outfit she had completed the week before. She tugged on a white blouse with a Peter Pan collar and navy trim, before stepping into a dark blue skirt with attached suspenders. She fastened the buttons on the waist, the remaining fabric from the suspenders rounded off and decorated with embroidered paw prints. An inch above the hem she had embroidered a sold line, on which stood a number of little cats in various poses. It was a subtle nod to her partner, and it made her feel exuberant and whimsical as she spun around, the fabric puffing out like a mushroom.

‘You’d better hope Chat Noir doesn’t see you in that,’ Tikki giggled.

‘He’d never stop preening. At least he’ll never know Ladybug wore something like this.’

Still tittering, she gathered her bag, then joined her family for breakfast. Ignoring her grandparents’ outraged expressions, she helped herself, and blathered about her upcoming day. Tom seemed relieved by her lift in mood, and heaped seconds onto her plate without waiting to be asked. Sabine was a little more reserved, but there was something in her eyes Marinette couldn’t name. Deciding she wouldn’t question it, Marinette ate, then finished getting ready. She parted with a jubilant farewell, then traipsed outside.

She met Adrien at the base of the front steps.

‘Good morning. Alya and Nino aren’t here yet?’

Adrien shifted his weight, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘They are, they’re inside already. I just wanted to talk to you, first. Is that ok?’

Flashes of her wilder fantasies flared in her mind’s eye; him asking her out, holding hands, confessing a deep and abiding love. She came back to reality with a start when she saw he was still awaiting her answer.

‘Of course. What’s up?’

His eyes dropped to his feet, before slowly rising. She flushed under his gaze, suddenly feeling silly in her cat-embellished skirt.

‘First of all, your outfit is super adorable.’

Her cheeks blazed at his unadulterated appreciation, while pride and pleasure bubbled in her chest.

‘Secondly, you seemed a little down yesterday. I just wanted to ask if you were all right.’

She rocked on her heels, taken aback that he’d noticed. She thought she had covered her emotions well.

‘I’m fine. Really,’ she stressed, when he gave her a sceptical look.

‘Ok, but if there’s something bothering you, you can talk to me. That’s what friends are for.’

Touched by his concern, she smiled sincerely at him. ‘I promise everything’s ok. But if I ever am in trouble, you’ll be the first to know.’

They headed inside then, still smiling fondly at each other. For once, it didn’t hurt that he only considered her a friend. It felt nice to know he had her back should she need it, and that meant more to her than anything else in that moment.

 

* * *

 

 

Although it was a half day, they were sent home with enough homework to keep them busy for the rest of the day. Marinette groaned as she hefted her schoolbag, the weight dragging painfully on her shoulder.

‘This sucks,’ Alya complained as she shrugged her own backpack on.

Adrien turned to them, an idea sparking in his eyes. ‘Why don’t we all study together? It’ll be fun.’

‘Only you would call any scenario involving homework fun,’ grumbled Nino.

Marinette looked at Alya with wide, pleading eyes. Alya gave her a subtle wink in return.

‘All right, you convinced me. I’m in,’ she declared.

Nino gaped at her, dumbstruck. ‘Ok, then I guess I am too.’

Marinette nodded enthusiastically.

‘Awesome,’ cheered Adrien.

He led the way back to his place, choosing to go by foot, rather than wait for his car. Marinette walked by his side, thrilled to be in his presence, while Alya and Nino followed close behind. The moment was ruined when Alya’s phone chirped.

‘Oh drat,’ she exclaimed. ‘My mum wants me to babysit. Everyone else has been called away.’

Marinette squinted at her suspiciously, buy Alya merely shrugged in a _what can you do_ gesture.

Adrien murmured a low note of disappointment. ‘If it’s an emergency, I suppose it can’t be helped.’

Then Nino’s phone chimed. He pulled it from his pocket, and grimaced at the screen. He looked up at Adrien with genuine remorse.

‘You too?’ Adrien asked in disbelief.

‘Sorry man.’

Sombrely, Alya and Nino headed back the way they’d come, while Adrien continued leading Marinette to his place.

Upset on his behalf, Marinette sent Alya one last text.

_Look what you did. You made him sad_.

Alya’s reply was instantaneous. _You’re welcome_.

It was followed by a winky face Marinette decided not to dwell on. Her feelings of abandonment were soon forgotten when she realised she had a whole afternoon alone with Adrien. A broad grin lit up her face, even as her ears turned red.

Adrien led her through the wrought iron gates and up the front steps. He called out when he let them into his mansion, but the only response was his own echo.

‘Father must be holed up in his office,’ he reasoned. ‘Oh well, I guess that means there’s no one to tell us no.’

Despite his light-hearted tone, Marinette thought she detected a hint of misery in his voice. There was something in his expression too, that seemed almost hollow. She chewed her lip, wondering how to cheer him up.

‘Did you want to stick your head in the door and say hello?’

Adrien shook his head. ‘No. When that door is shut,’ he nodded to a door on the left, ‘it means not to disturb him for any reason. It’s one of the household rules, right after no running, and no disobedience.’

‘No disobedience?’ she parroted.

‘Father likes to maintain proper hierarchy, even at home. So that means I need to do what I’m told, when I'm told, without question. It’s just the way parents are, you know?’

‘Not to that extent,’ she blurted. She slapped her hands over her mouth when he stared at her.

Feeling she had overstepped her bounds, Marinette ducked her head. ‘Sorry. Let’s just get this homework done, ok?’

The lingering tension evaporated after they pulled out their textbooks. In the end, it turned out to be a pleasant afternoon, and Marinette got to prove to Adrien, as well as herself, that she was capable of full sentences in his company. They even managed to complete their homework; Adrien praising her for her quick wit and thorough knowledge.

She was still jubilant on her walk home. ‘He said I’m as clever as Ladybug, Tikki.’

‘You are Ladybug,’ Tikki laughed from her purse.

‘But he doesn’t know that.’

‘It doesn’t take much to make you happy, does it?’

She sighed dreamily, as images of marital bliss flashed through her mind. She took the rear entrance once she arrived home, preferring to be as unobtrusive as possible. Unfortunately, she could not escape her grandmother’s accusing stare once she entered the loungeroom.

‘Where were you?’ she snapped.

Pausing at the base of the stairs to her room, Marinette scrambled to find the words in Chinese. ‘I was studying with a friend.’

Sabine bustled over from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a tea towel. ‘That’s nice, Dear. Which friend was it?’

‘Adrien. He invited me over to his house after we were assigned a ton of homework. Alya and Nino would have come too, but they had other engagements. Still, even without them, I was glad I went. He’s all alone in that big house, and I think it makes him sad.’

Grandmother Cheng began spluttering. ‘You were with a boy, unchaperoned?’

Sabine held up her hands, placatingly. ‘Please, Mother. It’s fine, Adrien’s a nice, polite boy from a respectable family. Neither he, nor Marinette would be so irresponsible.’

Grandmother Cheng ranted at a speed too fast for Marinette to keep up with, but Sabine winced as she tried to stem her mother’s tirade. Marinette took the opportunity to escape to her room, closing the door firmly after herself.

Tikki flew from the purse, her face twisted into a fierce scowl, as she buzzed furiously. ‘That woman.’

Marinette stopped at the venom in her tone. ‘Tikki? What is she saying?’

Tikki’s face smoothed out as she flew in to hug Marinette's cheek. ‘Nothing worth worrying about.’

‘Please, don’t try to shelter me. What is she saying?’

Tikki slumped, sighing in defeat. ‘She basically called you a girl of loose morals, running about in a short skirt and spending time alone with a boy. She said Sabine ought to be ashamed of you.’

Below them, voices rose, but Marinette could only make out Tom’s strident tones. He was asking what they were arguing about, and telling them to calm down, but went largely ignored. Marinette clapped her hands over her ears, then raced to her balcony, hoping to escape the sounds of the fight. Tikki went with her, but gave Marinette her space, settling discreetly into the flowerpot hanging off the railing. They stayed there until the muffled voices abated, but didn’t leave the sanctuary of Marinette’s room until Sabine called for her.

Dinner was tense. Hostility soured the air, putting Marinette off her food. No one ate much that night, and then Grandmother and Grandfather Cheng went to bed without a word of thanks. Tom, Sabine, and Marinette cleaned up silently, but not because they were mad at each other. Marinette didn’t know what to say, Tom looked upset on their behalf, and Sabine was still smarting after something her mother said. All they said was good night before turning in, then silence reigned once more.

Mari's dress


	5. Chapter 5

The atmosphere was still strained the following morning. Marinette kept her head down and said as little as possible, keenly aware she was the cause of the strife. While she never claimed to be perfect, apart from the occasional facetious comment to Chat Noir, it still weighed on her conscience when she was somehow in the wrong.

‘The problem is, I don’t know why I’m in the wrong anymore,’ she confided to Tikki as she packed her bag. ‘I feel like I’m back at square one.’

‘I think you were right all along. Judging from what they were saying, your grandparents have a very low opinion of you and your dad.’

‘Do I even want to know?’

Tikki hung her head. ‘Probably not.’

Marinette paused momentarily, then placed another textbook in her bag. ‘I see. So, it wouldn’t be worth asking them why they hate me, would it?’

‘If they deigned to answer, I’m sure it wouldn’t be anything nice.’

‘I wonder how much longer they plan on staying? It already feels like they’ve worn out their welcome.’

Tikki dived into the purse as Marinette swung it over her head. She stuck her head out to answer. ‘I think your grandparents are trying to convince your mum to do something, but she’s resisting. None of them are taking it well.’

Marinette cocked an eyebrow as she looked back at Tikki. ‘What do they want her to do?’

Tikki winced and glanced away. ‘They want your mum to leave your dad and marry a man from their own country. They want a grandson to take over the family.’

Marinette balked. ‘Of all the sexist, archaic, patriarchal – ‘

She cut herself off when she noticed her voice rising. Tikki nodded along in agreement, her brows drawn into severe lines. Marinette rolled her eyes with an exasperated huff.

‘There are still people who think like that?’ she demanded.

‘Apparently.’

‘Whatever. Let’s just go before we’re late.’

On her way out, Marinette kissed Sabine goodbye, and pointedly ignored her grandparents. When she reached the bakery, she hugged a floury Tom, then brushed herself off while she crossed the road.

She felt some semblance of normality re-establish itself while she was at school. Following a routine she knew well, school life was almost mundane. The only dramas were stirred up by Chloé and Lila, which had become nothing so much as background noise, given the bigger picture of things. While she did her best to prevent Chloé from wilfully tormenting people, she no longer had a personal stake involved, and so was able to hold her own against a debate with her. With her new-found rationality, Marinette found it easier to cope with her more volatile classmates.

Schoolyard politics notwithstanding, she enjoyed her day outside of the house. She spent her lunch hour with her friends, including Adrien, and got very positive results for her previous homework assignments.

_I guess all that time doing homework while brooding paid off_ , she thought giddily.

Best of all, there were no more akuma attacks. It wasn’t unusual for things to fall quiet over several consecutive days, so she wasn’t worried. Instead, she chose to enjoy the relative peace, and not take it for granted. 

When the dismissal bell rang, she steeled herself, willing her mind into a Ladybug mentality before she had to face the gargoyles in her living room. Striding purposefully home, she greeted Tom warmly, before continuing upstairs with a tray heavy with pastries.

Setting her burden on the coffee table, Marinette turned to Sabine. ‘Is there anything else you need?’

Sabine rubbed her forehead. ‘Could you bring me the ibuprofen, please, Sweetheart?’

‘Sure, Maman. Be right back.’

She brought over a half-full blister pack of painkillers and a glass of water. Sabine accepted both gratefully.

‘Make sure you eat something with that,’ Marinette reminded her.

Sabine dredged up a smile at her mothering tone, then picked up a croissant. She bit into it as Marinette smiled, and returned to her room. Behind her, the room remained eerily quiet.

 

* * *

 

 

Nothing had changed come dinner time. Sabine was still at loggerheads with her parents, Tom stood staunchly by her, and Marinette tried to keep a low profile. Grandmother and Grandfather Cheng glared at their plates, poking critically at the veritable feast Tom had prepared. They curled their lips and scrunched their noses, but barely ate any of it. Marinette was offended on her father’s behalf.

However, she had resolved to be the bigger person, so she took deep, calming breaths and complimented the meal lavishly. While Tom was a renowned baker, he was also a skilled cook, which was something he rarely got credit for. Sabine helped to make up the disparity, smiling and holding his hand tenderly, while telling him he could open a restaurant. He perked up after that.

Dinner concluded early, then Sabine sent her to her room. For once Marinette didn’t have homework, but she understood that Sabine was trying to spare her her grandparents’ presence. She left reluctantly, but Sabine flapped her hands insistently, shooing her away.

‘I hope everything’s ok,’ she murmured to Tikki in the safety of her room.

Tikki flew out from behind a pile of pilfered biscuits. ‘They’re all grown adults. I’m sure it’ll be fine.’

Marinette goggled at her, pointing at her treats. ‘Where did you get those? How did you get those?’

Smirking, Tikki looked at her askance. ‘Someone forgot to put away the pastries from earlier. I helped myself. The macarons are especially tasty.’

Her smug audacity had Marinette laughing. ‘You little imp. I’m impressed you didn’t get caught.’

‘I’ll have you know, we kwamies can be very stealthy when we want to be. I’ll never be as good as the Mouse kwami, though.’

‘All right, Madame Thief. I’m going up to the balcony; you staying here to gorge yourself, or do you want to gorge yourself outside?’

‘I think I’ll stay here. I don’t much fancy sharing my meals with bugs.’

Marinette opened her mouth, then decided it was safer not to comment on that remark. She nodded once, then took the rungs two at a time, eager for some fresh air. She burst out onto her balcony, gulping great breaths as she hoisted herself up. The evening chill felt like a balm after the stifling interior, so Marinette indulged in it, letting her shoulders relax and easing the tension she had carried all week.

‘You’re looking better,’ observed a familiar voice. ‘The evil grandparents leave, or something?’

Marinette gave Chat Noir a sardonic smile. ‘No such luck, unfortunately. But I finally have an idea about why they don’t like me.’

He came to stand beside her, leaning back against the rail comfortably. ‘Oh?’

‘I’m a girl with dual heritage. Apparently, that makes me shameful, or something.’

Chat Noir’s jaw went slack. ‘Tell me you’re joking. No one cares about those things anymore.’

Marinette shrugged. ‘Apparently, they do. They’re trying to convince Maman to leave us, and have a baby boy with a man from China, so he can be the next head of the family, or something like that.’

‘That is seriously messed up.’

‘Right? Anyway, I’m just hoping that Maman will convince them she’s not leaving us, and that they’ll take the hint and go soon. Life had been nothing but misery since they arrived.’

Chat Noir put a hand on her shoulder. ‘How about you, are you doing ok now?’

Huffing, she let her head fall back, and stared at the sky. ‘I’m trying to be ok, and I’ve been getting better at holding it together, I think. But they make it so hard. It’s like they thrive on being difficult and making everyone around them feel bad. Am I a terrible person for wishing they’d just go already?’

‘No, not if they make you and your parents feel like that. Honestly, I’d probably feel the same, and there’s no shame in that. Sometimes, people aren’t worth the effort, even if they’re family.’

Marinette turned her head to look at him. ‘You don’t think that’s a little harsh?’

He shook his head. ‘Toxic people are not worth the emotional distress, and it sounds like your grandparents haven’t even tried to see things from other perspectives. They only care about their own agenda, and are willing to throw their daughter’s happiness aside for their own sake. That’s pretty selfish, not to mention heartless.’

‘Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.’ It saddened her to think that her usually-buoyant partner had people in his life like her grandparents. In her opinion, he deserved every happiness in the world.

He winked at her. ‘That would be telling.’

‘All right, Monsieur Cheeky, I’ll drop it. What’re you doing out this way, anyway? You’re not known for patrolling the same area twice in one week.’

They had no set routes or times for patrol, they just went out whenever they felt they could, and chose whichever areas they thought needed the most attention. There was no point looking for akumas at night, as Papillon was largely only active during the day. However, the people responded positively to seeing their heroes out after dark, and Chat Noir was particularly popular as he would stop and talk with adults and children alike as they leaned out of apartment windows to wave him down.

‘Actually,’ he drawled, ‘I came to see you. I wanted to make sure you were all right.’

Fond gratitude swelled up her body. ‘Thanks, Chat, I appreciate that. You’re a good friend.’

‘Always happy to be of service,’ he replied, pulling her into a hug.

Marinette rested her head against his shoulder and smiled. Chat Noir was a great guy, and he was sure to make some lucky girl very happy one day.

_Provided he can get over his crush on Ladybug_.

In that moment, however, he was hers. So, she used that time selfishly, letting his stalwart presence soothe her battered emotions. She released a soft, contented sigh when he began to stroke her hair.

Her moment of peace was torn asunder by a furious shriek. She leapt away from Chat Noir, her hands coming up to curl against her chest, while Chat Noir took up a defensive position. His reaction was unwarranted, though, when they saw it was Grandmother Cheng pointing at them from just inside the access hatch. Unlike the previous time, however, she dragged herself out to stand in front of them, still squealing in outrage.

Tom and Sabine appeared next, looking between the three figures in astonishment. Marinette saw Tom mouth Chat Noir’s name, then he and Sabine were surging forward, trying to stand between Grandmother Cheng and her targets.

Grandfather Cheng joined the fray, waving a finger in admonishment, with his face distorted by rage. Grandmother Cheng was pointing at Marinette and screeching in rapid Chinese, using words she wasn’t familiar with. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, either.

Suddenly, Chat Noir snarled, his teeth bared like a vicious animal. With a threatening step forward, he shot back at her in fluent Chinese, jabbing a finger into her sternum.

For a second, everyone paused in surprise while he continued to berate her. In a moment of delirium Marinette thought back to the time he’d admitted to knowing many languages. She had thought he was joking.

Grandfather Cheng recovered first. He started yelling at Chat Noir, who yelled back, until their voices were nothing more than incomprehensible noise. Sabine pleaded with her father to calm down and go back inside, while Tom tried to talk Chat Noir down. Neither of them were making any headway, and so failed to notice Grandmother Cheng slip by them to confront Marinette.

Watching on apprehensively, Marinette didn’t see her grandmother until she was right in front of her. She gulped when she looked down at the wizened old woman.

‘You bring shame on your family,’ she spat. ‘You’re nothing more than a mongrel whore.’

The slap echoed in the ensuing silence. Marinette placed a hand over her stinging cheek, more shocked than injured, but the hurt of those words ran deeper than any physical blow.

Sabine gasped, Tom and Chat Noir stopped and stared in open mouthed horror, and Grandfather Cheng curled his lip at her in disgust.

With a feral roar, Chat Noir jumped in front of Marinette, ready to defend her against another blow, his staff held ready. Sabine, wrenched from her state of shock, forcibly dragged her mother inside, roughly shoving her back down the access hatch, while Tom lifted her father bodily to drop him down the aperture. They then turned to face Marinette and Chat Noir, appalled and with no idea of what to do next.

Barely containing his fury, Chat Noir nodded for them to go. They closed the hatch behind them, their looks of consternation lit from below until they ducked out of sight.

‘Marinette?’

She barely felt him stroke her unhurt cheek. His voice sounded distant and muffled, as if he were trying to talk to her while she was dreaming.

‘Marinette?’

The urgency in his voice brought her back. She blinked the unshed tears from her eyes, only then realising Chat Noir had wiped more tears from her cheeks with the knuckle of his index finger.

‘I’m ok,’ she mumbled.

‘No, you’re not.’

What started as a nod of assurance ended as a distressed shake of her head as more tears fell. Chat Noir picked her up, then sat down on her deck chair, cradling her in his lap. Marinette sobbed into his shoulder, her fingers digging into his suit as she fought to anchor herself. She had no idea why she was reacting so badly. The slap hadn’t hurt that much, and she already knew her grandparents didn’t like her, yet she couldn’t stop crying.

Chat Noir waited patiently for her sobs to subside. He rubbed her back and stroked her hair, murmuring over and over that it was ok, she was safe, and that she could let it all out now. Taking him at his word, Marinette released all of her pent-up emotions, letting them loose in ragged breaths and broken wails. She keened into his chest, finally giving voice to the depths of her anguish.

It was an hour later when she felt she was able to let go of him and look up. She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands, silently bemoaning how wretched she must look, with bloodshot, puffy eyes, and a dribbly nose.

‘Sorry,’ she whispered.

‘You have nothing to apologise for. You did nothing wrong.’

‘I got snot on your suit, and you had to witness that,’ she fished for the appropriate word, ‘debacle with my grandparents.’

‘I don’t care about a little mucus, and I would rather be here and make sure you’re safe, than find out about it later only to hear you got hurt.’

‘I wouldn’t have gotten hurt.’

Chat Noir cupped her jaw, urging her to look him in the eyes. ‘Except that I failed, anyway. I was here, and you still got hurt.’ He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to argue. ‘If you weren’t hurt, do you think you would have cried like that?’

For the first time, she noticed the tears standing in his own eyes. ‘Oh, Kitty.’

Carefully, she rubbed her thumb below the eyehole of his mask. He closed his eyes, pressing his cheek into her palm.

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you,’ he uttered.

She didn’t know what to say to that, so she pulled him in for a tight, comforting hug, and stroked his hair the way he had hers until he felt ready to depart.


	6. Chapter 6

Marinette declined accompanying her family to the airport the following morning. She opted instead to go to school, and put the entire ordeal behind her, knowing that when she got home, her grandparents wouldn’t be there. It was a very liberating thought.

Adrien met her outside the front doors of the school looking drawn, but his smile was genuine.

‘Good morning, Marinette. Happy Friday.’

‘It is indeed,’ she agreed, lightly.

Adrien proffered his arm, which she accepted like a grande dame, and allowed him to escort her inside. He bowed her into her seat, then took a courtly step back before taking his own place in front of her.

Alya chuckled at them. ‘Something you want to tell us?’

Adrien turned around to look at her. ‘Like what?’

She stared back for a moment, then shook her head with a sigh. ‘Never mind.’

Nino knocked him on the arm with a loose fist, grinning. Adrien pushed him playfully back, then sat up straight as Madame Caline Bustier came in.

Alya slipped Marinette a note the moment Caline’s back was turned. It read, _you never did tell me what happened during your afternoon of “studying” alone with Adrien._

Marinette smirked as she wrote back, _and I never will_.

Alya’s gasp of shocked indignation drew Caline’s attention.

‘Please pay attention, everyone. This is going to be on your next exam.’

‘Yes Ma’am,’ they intoned dutifully.

Alya shot her dirty looks for the rest of the class, but Marinette only giggled at her mock severity.

Adrien was strangely solicitous that morning. He was never far away, and kept offering to do things for her, like carry her books, or fetch her some water. Chloé and Lila bristled at the attention he was giving her, but Marinette was too happy to care. She didn’t even question why he was suddenly going out of his way to accommodate her needs.

She ate lunch in the park with everyone, even Chloé and Lila. It was a novel experience to spend casual time with her entire class, as there was usually someone who couldn’t make it, but there they all were, laughing, teasing, and commiserating over the shared trials of school. Marinette couldn’t remember ever having such a good day.

Then, in the distance, a hubbub began. Marinette suppressed a groan, edging away from the group as her classmates turned to Alya. She held up her phone, trying to determine what was going on.

‘There’s an akuma at Charles de Gaulle Airport,’ she related to the group.

Marinette crept away, and pressed her back to a tree, shielding her actions from any curious bystanders. ‘Tikki, time to transform.’

With a less than subtle flash, Ladybug was swinging towards the source of the noise. Citizens pointed and cheered as she passed, to whom she spared a wave before hurrying onward.

Chat Noir joined her a few minutes later. ‘Reports say that the commotion is coming from the front of the Charles de Gaulle Airport. People are saying it’s a monster.’

Ladybug bit back a long-suffering moan. ‘Thanks, Kitty. Let’s get there before things get too out of hand.’

Picking up speed, she headed toward the airport hoping the akuma wasn’t her grandparents.

It was a futile wish. The first thing she saw was a giant, stylised two-headed dragon, with Tom and Sabine trapped between its massive front talons. Ladybug bit her lip against calling out for her parents, as they pleaded uselessly with the combined wrath of Grandmother and Grandfather Cheng.

‘Oh boy,’ Chat Noir huffed, skidding to a stop on the Airport roof beside her. ‘Um, so, strange request. But, could we please try not to actually hurt the akuma? Those people down there are all relatives of a friend of mine.’

Ladybug spared him a glance, swallowed, and nodded. ‘I’ll do my best.’

They launched themselves into battle, Chat Noir distracting the two heads while Ladybug whisked Tom and Sabine to safety.

Once she deposited them inside the relative safety of the airport, Ladybug asked, ‘do you have any idea what the akumatised item could be? Any information you may have could help Chat Noir and I defeat the akuma faster, and with less distress.’

Sabine curled a finger in front of her lips, her elbow resting in the palm of her free hand. ‘My mother was wearing a small wooden hairpin shaped like a Chinese dragon. My father was fixing it for her when they were both overwhelmed by Papillon’s transformation.’

‘Got it, thank you. I’ll bring your parents back safely, don’t worry.’

Sabine and Tom both nodded, before turning to each other for comfort. Ladybug spun on her heel, and ran outside to see Chat Noir laying dazed on the ground. Throwing out her yoyo, she wrapped it around his ankle, and reeled him in just as both heads of the beast moved in to snap him up.

‘Thanks. I was about to be kitty kibble,’ he panted as he got to his feet.

‘No problem, but we need to keep moving.’

They darted to either side as the akuma lunged at them, both sets of jaws clamping down with an audible clack at their heels. Chat Noir then darted around its feet, trying to provide a distraction, while Ladybug lassoed a head, and tried to perch on its crown. However, whichever head she landed on threw her off a second later, preventing her from locating the pin. After several failed attempts, and a near miss with a set of razor-sharp teeth, she landed on the roof, panting hard.

Chat Noir met her there, breathing just as hard. Looking at her desperately, he asked, ‘how are we supposed to take them down?’

She tapped her lip as she thought. ‘We could try to bind the heads with my yoyo, while you jump on it and search for the possessed item.’

‘Which is?’

‘A wooden hairpin on the woman’s head.’

‘Which one’s the woman?’

Ladybug opened her mouth to tell him not to be so ridiculous, only to pause, and study the two heads below her. In her haste to finish wrapping things up, she hadn’t thought about distinguishing which was her grandfather, and which was her grandmother. She had just assumed the pin would be easy to find. The heads, however, seemed almost identical. They were predominantly red, with gold edged scales, yellow beards, and green lotus flowers up the jaw. Only one head, however, had a moustache.

‘The left head is the man. It’s got more facial hair,’ she explained, pointing.

‘If you say so,’ he agreed.

She called on her Lucky Charm. What came forth was a large mirror, which Chat Noir eyed dubiously.

‘While you figure that out, I’m going to look for that hairpin.’

Just as he jumped off the building, one of the heads swivelled around to attempt to snatch him out of the air. Ladybug cried out, her yoyo snapping forth to wrap around his middle, before yanking him away once more. He landed on his rump at her feet, wincing at the ignominious rescue.

‘Think before you leap,’ Ladybug scolded him. ‘I know what to do. Just follow my lead.’

With his help, Ladybug took the mirror to the ground, then angled it so the sun’s reflection blinded the monsters. While they were still reeling, Ladybug wrapped her yoyo around its long necks, binding them tight and keeping them still, while Chat Noir bounded up to search for the tiny hairpin. He extracted it from a patch of fluff atop Grandmother Cheng’s head with a triumphant yell, before jumping down to meet Ladybug on the ground.

She accepted the pin wordlessly, then snapped it in half. She caught the akuma, purified it, and with Chat Noir’s assistance, threw her Lucky Charm into the air. The two-headed dragon disappeared, leaving her surly grandparents sitting on the ground in unhappy confusion.

Sabine and Tom raced out, thanking them profusely as they helped the elderly couple to their feet. Chat Noir took the time to assure them everything was ok, but Ladybug decided it was wiser to leave. She called her usual farewell, while her parents waved a distracted goodbye as she swung away.

_Can’t even leave the country without causing a scene_ , she thought as she finally put her grandparents behind her for good.

 

* * *

 

 

 After the last bell rang, Marinette went home feeling content. She greeted Tom cheerily as she entered the bakery, and skipped up the stairs as if she were a little girl again.

Her elation dimmed when she saw Sabine sitting alone on the couch with her head in her hands.

‘Maman?’ she asked tentatively, laying her bag on the steps before circling the couch. ‘Is everything all right?’

Sabine sighed as she straightened up. ‘It’s fine, Dear.’

‘Did your parents get on their plane ok?’ She sat next to her, laying an arm around Sabine’s shoulders.

There was a lengthy pause before she answered. ‘We had another argument at the terminal. They were akumatised, and caused a terrible delay, but Ladybug and Chat Noir sorted them out. They were able to make their flight in the end, but I don’t know. They’re getting old, so I’m worried we’ll not be able to patch things up before it’s too late.’

‘I see.’

Marinette wished she knew what to say, but her life experience was limited. She had no personal insight to draw from, so anything she said would have sounded derivative and trite. Instead, she decided to ask the question that had plagued her since she was a child. Images of Chloé asking Audrey why she didn’t love her flashed through her mind. For a brief moment, Marinette understood Chloé’s burning need to be like her mother, trying to gain even a shred of acknowledgement from an indifferent parent.

‘Maman, why do Grandmother and Grandfather hate me?’

Sabine seemed to wilt before her eyes. ‘It’s not that they hate you, my Darling. What I chose just wasn’t what they wanted, not for me, and not for the family. They resent us, and blame me for dishonouring the family name, however misplaced those feelings are.’

Sabine shifted until she faced Marinette properly, then placed a hand on her cheek. ‘Don’t dwell on it, Sweetheart. Tom and I both love you, and each other, very much. I wouldn’t give either of you up for anything. You two are my life, my reason for being, and your father would say the same. So, don’t fret about your grandparents. That’s not something you need to worry about. Let me deal with them, ok?’

‘Ok, if you say so. Did they ever treat Uncle Wang like this?’

Sabine huffed a weak laugh. ‘Uncle Wang has always been a bit of a black sheep. He wanted to be a chef, and he never married, unless you count his work. Everyone gave up trying to tell him what to do a long time ago. But he has always looked favourably upon us. He’s especially fond of you.’

‘Me, really?’

‘He always asks about you and that “nice Adrien boy” in his letters. He wants to know the minute you two get engaged, so he can prepare a suitable wedding banquet.’

Marinette felt her face burn. She covered her face with her hands, squealing her embarrassment. Sabine chuckled, then held her close, rocking back and forth in a comforting motion. Marinette returned the hug, noting with mild surprise that Sabine was short enough to fit under her chin.

Dinner that night was a modest affair. After the lavish meals Sabine and Tom had been preparing over the last few days, they felt a little burnt out, so they fell back on basic, but nutritious meals. Marinette preferred the casual approach. It felt like home, and really drove in the fact that her grandparents were gone for good.

That realisation turned Marinette’s belly into lead. It was sobering to think she would never see her maternal grandparents alive again. She wished, more for Sabine’s sake than anything else, that things had gone better. She wanted to be able to like her grandparents, and not merely claim to love them out of obligation. Alas, they had not made that possible. Marinette lapsed into silence, then retired early, palming a couple of biscuits for Tikki on the way.

Marinette fell back on her chaise with a sigh. Tikki hovered nearby, a biscuit clutched in her little arms.

‘Are you feeling ok, Marinette?’ she asked.

‘Yeah, I just wish things had worked out with Maman’s parents. I think with the way things ended, she’s sadder than she’ll admit.’

Tikki hummed her agreement, then settled to perch on Marinette’s belly.

‘You can be there to support her, and offer any comfort you can, but it’ll be up to the three of them to fix their relationship. I’m afraid there’s nothing else you can do.’

‘I know, but this helplessness sucks. I just wish there was something substantial I could do.’

‘You’re already doing something. You’d be surprised what a little show of support can mean to someone. Look at how Chat Noir supported you.’

Marinette smiled at the memory. It was bittersweet to look back on. ‘Yeah, he really came through for me, didn’t he?’

‘How about a run to clear your head? It’s been a while since you just let yourself go, and lived in the moment.’

Marinette sat up, catching Tikki as she tumbled sideways. ‘That’s a great idea. Let’s go.’

A momentary flash, and Ladybug was swinging above the streets, enjoying the feeling of the wind in her hair and the adrenaline surging through her system. Regardless of the circumstances, it was always a rush when she transformed. From falling from great heights, to that single instant when she hung suspended in the air between swings, as her yoyo detached from one anchor point before catching onto another, it made her spirit soar. It was like, as long as she was moving, nothing else could touch her, not even the troubles of her mundane life.

Marinette stopped by Fu’s place, to assure him over tea, that her grandparents had departed, and her relationship with her parents was restored. She credited him with being able to make it through the ordeal with her sanity intact, and thanked him emphatically for his meditation lesson. He accepted her thanks graciously, and reiterated what Tikki had told her about Sabine having to fix her own relationships. Marinette listened to him patiently, then departed, feeling a little older and a little wiser.

Transforming once more, Ladybug leapt to the rooftops to stand there and take a moment to just be. The last week had felt like a lot had happened, and she had yet to decompress, but she had no idea how she was to accomplish that. Everyone knew one half of her life, but both halves were jumbled together, and she needed to talk about herself as a whole, without omitting crucial details or worrying about giving away her identity. She sighed when the only person she could think of was Tikki. She loved Tikki, but she sometimes wished she had someone else to talk to.

‘That’s a big sigh. Something on your mind, Milady?’ Chat Noir had come up behind her unheard while she was lost in her own thoughts.

‘Nothing much, Chaton.’

‘You sure?’

‘Yeah, but I could use a hug, if you’re offering.’

He wrapped his arms around her immediately, then eased them both to the roof so they could sit down. He sat with his legs stretched out on either side of her, while she squeezed him about the middle, her cheek pressed into his shoulder. Chat Noir rubbed her back, and stroked her hair, waiting patiently for her to speak.

‘Thanks, Chat. This really helps a lot.’

He smiled into her hair. ‘Must be my week for comforting pretty girls. Lucky me.’

‘Are you telling me you’ve been a naughty tom cat?’

‘Only for you, Milady.’

She paused. ‘Wait, what?’

Chat Noir winked mischievously, but didn’t answer. Instead, he let her go, and got to his feet, before springing away over the rooftops.

Ladybug’s jaw fell slack, then she squared her shoulders. ‘Hey, get back here and explain yourself.’

Only his laugh echoed back, taunting her. Ladybug launched herself after him, chasing him relentlessly, and demanding he tell her what he meant by that remark, but in an unusual role reversal, he remained just out of reach. She could see he delighted in her pursuing him, as if it were a game.

Ladybug shook her head, then grinned wide. She would catch him eventually. He could never outrun her for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He didn’t actually figure her out, he was just trying to be suave. It failed.
> 
> Thank you all for reading, leaving kudos and commenting!   
> You guys are awesome :D


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